831: Entrepreneurial Behavior of Women: The Fine Line Between Causation and Effectuation (12163)

This research aimed to identify and characterize a predominant entrepreneurial behavior among Brazilian women entrepreneurs, whether causation or effectuation. The research relied on a qualitative approach with data from in-depth semi-structured interviews, which collected narratives about the trajectory of 65 women entrepreneurs chosen according to the snowball technique. All interviewees are part of the Women Entrepreneurs Network (WEN), established in Brazil. There is still much to be studied about the methods used for entrepreneurship, such as regarding effectuation and causation, especially when it comes to female entrepreneurship. In this sense, the originality of this article lies mainly in the fact that it is a study of female entrepreneurship under the perspectives of effectuation and causation, responding to particularly adverse conditions caused by obstacles such as gender differences, sexism, discrimination, and role conflicts. The findings indicate that there is a predominance of the effectuation approach in the responses of female entrepreneurship to adversities and the use of causation in certain less frequent situations. This result agrees with previous studies and reinforces that both entrepreneurial logics are not mutually exclusive, but complementary. This research also reinforces that effectual behavior can occur in different types of entrepreneurial activity, not only in those with a high level of uncertainty. The contributions obtained converge to a better understanding of the practices of effectuation and causation, but now also in the context of Brazilian women entrepreneurs, and indicate the need for more research on the practices and impacts of effectuation and causation in female entrepreneurship.

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